Request
In a clearing just outside New Haven, Shadowwing gathered with Thorvald, Valka, Gobber, Was-Grounded, Green-Wings, Luna, Rock-Climber, and Hidden-Hope. Rock-Climber and Hidden-Hope explained fully what had happened up above and what the Chief up there told them. A strange man calling himself Viggo Grimborne had appeared outside the village, displayed his pet Deathgripper, and spoke to a guard before disappearing into the darkness. Viggo had demanded Shadowwing meet him outside the village the following morning. There was also a boat floating far offshore. After explaining what they knew, Rock-Climber and Hidden-Hope were dismissed.
After Shadowwing finished translating, Thorvald knocked his fists together, "Alright, they found us. Maybe we'll get to die in battle after all! I'll have everyone scrape the rust off their spears, grab their shields, pray to the gods, and-"
Gobber interrupted and waved his hand, "Woah, hold on there. That's a wee bit drastic, don't ya think? We don' even know what he wants. Probably not tea, but maybe not our deaths either."
"Can't be anything good. He did let us go last time though," Thorvald muttered, looking somewhat disappointed.
Gobber nodded, "Exactly. And he only brought the one ship, right, so it's not like there's a whole army up there!"
Valka mused, "If he wanted to do us immediate harm, he would have brought more vessels. As much as I don't like it, we should meet with him and see what he wants."
He translated for the other dragons.
Luna growled, "We must be careful. If he has his stinging-tail-hunter protecting him, there could be others. He could be a danger to you. To any of us. If any two-leg is best prepared to fight us, it would be him."
"Do not worry. I learned my lesson long ago to not meet dangerous Alphas on my own. We will do this carefully."
Was-Grounded offered, "Moon-Dancer and Aurora volunteered to be watchers next. They could keep watch from above for us to be sure Viggo has no other thrall sky-kin and no attacking two-legs."
Green-Wings nodded once, "Dawn-Singer and Hope-In-His-Liver can keep watch here while we are up above. Mist-Wings and Light-Hunter can entertain the fledglings for us."
"You are coming with?" Was-Grounded asked, surprised.
Green-Wings huffed, "I am not hiding this time there is a threat to our pack and to my life-mate."
"You were not hiding last time at the Haven-range. You were protecting our young," Was-Grounded replied.
"It felt like hiding, letting you three risk yourselves. I can fight too," she muttered.
Was-Grounded hummed, "I would not be here if you could not."
Shadowwing explained the plan to Valka, Gobber, and Thorvald.
Valka faced Gobber and Thorvald, "If neither of you object, I will go above with the Furies and speak for us."
Gobber nodded, "Good idea. Yer less likely to start a war by accident, and he already knows ya."
"Right, right. Does anyone know how he even found us?" Thorvald asked.
He and Valka shared a glance, neither being completely certain, though there was at least one possibility.
Valka reluctantly answered, "Maybe he learned about the last mission to get supplies. When Hidden-Hope got captured, it stopped being a secret mission. But we couldn't have been followed back here. We made sure no one was on our trail."
It was too improbable that Viggo had randomly guessed correctly. No, he had to know that this island in some way was connected to the dragons. Perhaps he had learned what Valka had purchased and then guessed which general direction she could have flown from or to based on possible islands. Viggo was likely the only person he knew about who could locate them on almost no information.
Before dawn on a cloudy morning, Shadowwing circled above the village, his gaze drawn to the sea. Far out to shore were visible a handful of small lights from what had to be the Grimborne's ship.
Last time he met with the Grimbornes on a small spit of sand far away near the mainland, he made far too many mistakes, mostly revealing too much information when answering seemingly innocuous questions. Whether the information he revealed led to Grimmel attacking Luna and Moon-Dancer was unknowable.
"Do not be stupid. No mistakes this time," he chided himself.
Everything was prepared for this meeting. Moon-Dancer and Aurora were circling the island on opposite sides from each other to keep watch for anything unusual. Everyone else was already down in the nearest clearing outside the village, and the shipwrecked people were going to be kept indoors as long as necessary, ostensibly for a tribal ceremony they were not allowed to witness. Almost everyone else from the village remained inside their huts.
He tucked his wings and dove to land beside Luna in the clearing lit by several torches with guards beside the village. Was-Grounded stood alert staring out to sea, Green-Wings paced anxiously, and Valka was speaking with Chief Stonefist.
"See anything?" Luna asked.
"Not yet. He should be here soon."
"Any guess what he wants?"
"Maybe he wants help in a fight. He cannot know about the world below, so he must believe we are hidden somewhere on this island or a nearby one. I doubt he only wants to boast about finding us."
"What if he does want help in a fight? That would mean he wants sky-kin fighting for him against two-legs."
"No one is leaving to serve him. I worry he will not believe all the sky-kin are on this island though."
Just as the sun began to peek above the horizon, Was-Grounded spun around and dashed to them, "Incoming sky-kin. A stinging-tail hunter."
Sure enough, a Deathgripper was inbound low above the sea. Valka came to stand before him while Chief Stonefist hung back behind everyone else.
"Rright onn time. Rready?" he muttered.
Valka clutched her staff and nodded.
The Deathgripper flew straight for them, arrived at the clearing, slowly spun in a circle, and dove to land at the other end of the clearing. Viggo Grimborne, fully garbed in dark leather and a helmet entirely covering his head aside from eyeslits, dismounted the Deathgripper, patted its neck, and approached. He stopped before them, paused, and removed his helmet.
Shadowwing started in surprise, seeing extensive burn marks across much of Viggo's face. What had happened to him, if not an accident with his pet Deathgripper?
"Dragonheart, Shadowwing, Was-Grounded, how pleasant to meet you again. I presume these other two must be your partners. I had no chance to see them last time. Gorgeous dragonesses."
Luna and Green-Wings growled and bared their teeth.
"With attitude as well. I expected nothing less. Their names?" Viggo asked.
"Luna and Green-Wings," Valka answered, indicating each in turn.
Viggo directly faced him, "Shadowwing, shall we do this here, or down on the beach so you can more readily reply?"
He nodded and patted the ground with a paw. A bare patch of dirt would suffice until springing the surprise.
"Suit yourself."
Valka gestured at Viggo, "What happened to your face? I don't remember you having that decoration."
"Someone taught me a lesson about ignoring the obvious. She killed Ryker and left me with this reminder."
She? Viggo had to have fought with a foreign chieftainess. Whoever it had been must have been fierce and cunning if she got Ryker killed and somehow tricked Viggo.
"What do you want?" Valka asked.
"For years, I wondered where the dragonriders went. You are a rogue element, with no known allegiance except to yourself. I did you a favor by warning you and letting you escape the mainland. You owe me some consideration."
Valka scowled, "We paid for our freedom in blood. We owe you nothing."
Viggo chuckled and slowly retrieved from a pocket a small dagger which he showed off and tossed on the ground at her feet. She picked it up and inspected the blade. The dagger was ornate, with carving he had never seen before.
"Is this supposed to mean something?" she asked.
"Perhaps you did not hear about them, but there were several warlords, even from far-distant lands. They each had their own reasons for pursuing dragons: for sport, personal revenge, and enslavement. Those warlords were tragically poisoned at the same time. Even I suffered it's effects, but only I survived."
Viggo's mild voice and intense gaze left no doubt of what he hadn't said aloud.
"You eliminated your competition. How does this concern us, and why should we not kill you now that you found us?" Valka asked.
"To start with your latter point first, I have a dead man's plan. I left instructions to be distributed to all my captains if and only if I do not return by a certain date. The instructions are to bring most of my units to this island. As I now command all of Grimmel's remaining forces and those of the warlords who have joined me, it would be a- considerable force. Be assured, I only wish to speak and offer a proposal."
Valka looked away from Viggo and to him while he finished translating for the other Furies. There was no way to know if Viggo's plan was legitimate or only a threat, but there was no choice except to treat it as real. Viggo could not come to harm, for their own sakes.
"What do you want?" Valka asked.
Viggo crossed his arms on his chest and looked at the village behind them.
"I missed seeing any dragons around here yesterday, but the anomalous cave in the middle of your island is intriguing. Am I correct you have gone underground? Perhaps you hide in there during the day and emerge at night."
Valka answered, "Perhaps. Why do you care?"
"Dragons and their riders hiding in a cave in the middle of nowhere, does that not sound unbecoming? You deserve better."
"Have you forgotten what happened to us? We tried to live on our own in peace out there, but that was impossible. You helped make sure of that."
"I don't mean all of you. That wouldn't work. The people and tribes out there understandably fear dragons too much, but that could change. While Ripper is useful, he's not the same as a Fury or a dragon like them at my side. I ask that you consider joining me as allies."
Luna, Green-Wings, and Was-Grounded growled when he translated for them.
"Never," Luna hissed.
"Why would we help this Alpha? He commanded an attack on us!" Green-Wings objected.
"Good question," he agreed.
He got Viggo's attention, extended a claw, and scratched into the dirt.
Why
Valka nodded, "Why do you want a pet Fury?"
Viggo held a palm to his chest, as if he was affronted, "Not as a pet. I see the advantages of having one of you cooperating with me. Having one of you at my side might help change opinions about your kind if the people see you being not just a pet, a trained beast, or a guard."
"As if you are concerned about how the world sees dragons."
"I have my own interests. There is no one currently out there to challenge me, but there will be in time. Admittedly, I cannot demand anything of you, as threatening my prospective ally's home does not make for a sound alliance, not only being senseless waste."
Viggo paused and gestured at the surrounding wilds, "Why not hide here in this desolation, not concerning yourself with the rest of the world? Peace is only a brief respite in which to prepare. If you want peace, prepare for the next war. This will never change."
The world was dangerous, and alliances were necessary for security. None of him, Was-Grounded, Luna, or Green-Wings were in a position to leave. The possibility of any of their children leaving to serve Viggo, perhaps as a scout, guard dragon, or in some other manner, was entirely unappealing. Leaving aside their having friends in New Haven or having young children of their own, none of them had experience in an openly hostile human world where their safety could not be assured. At the same time, Viggo was right that the world seeing a dragon and a human cooperating as he proposed might change opinions. Maybe.
Viggo continued, "Regardless, I can give you protection by keeping the surrounding waters clear, and by sending merchant vessels to trade with this island. The merchants would be carefully chosen and whom I can trust to keep the trade secret, for their own good. Bones and shed scales hold great value, with how much rarer dragons have become. You must need new supplies from time to time, and needing to travel far on dragonback can cause- incidents."
Viggo paused and faced Valka, "Am I correct that was you at the port with Shadowwing, Luna, and one of their offspring?"
"Close. Different dragons. Is that how you found us?" Valka asked, clearly upset.
"Combined with other evidence. There were only so many islands you could have flown to or from, and you were nowhere on the mainland. I can help provide what you need, and I have no intention of revealing where you are. Shadowwing, if none of you wish to follow me, I can accept something else instead."
Viggo smiled, "I doubt you are all living in the squalor of a damp cave. On the condition that you show me where you live and how you sustain yourselves, I shall depart, keep your presence here a secret, and provide you the regular aid I mentioned."
Valka remained silent until she faced him, waiting for his response. He stepped back to confer with the other Furies.
"He wants to see our range and the hidden world, even if he does not know about it. He said he would keep our secret, leave us alone, and help our ground-kin living up here."
Luna objected, "We cannot let the above know about us."
"Do we have a choice? He already found us, and he said he would not tell. What could he do with what he sees down there?"
No one immediately answered.
He continued, "Maybe he could bring countless two-legs and boats to attack, but why? He does not hate sky-kin the way others did. I do not like it either, but I do not know how he would benefit from telling others where we are or what he would see below. Maybe he will learn our world cannot be attacked."
Was-Grounded grumbled, "Perhaps. Two-legs cannot move in it without wings to carry them. If he leaves us alone and even gives the ground-kin help up here, is that worth the risk? Can we make that choice for all sky-kin below?"
Luna answered after a moment, "We have no choice but to make that decision for them. He probably will not leave if we do not show him what he wants to see, and we cannot kill him or keep him here forever. We must show him."
Neither Was-Grounded or Green-Wings disagreed, though they didn't appear pleased either.
Shadowwing took a breath, "Other sky-kin would attack his stinging-tail-hunter-kin on sight. I will offer to carry him."
Luna added, "Then I will take Kin-liver. Do we all agree?"
Was-Grounded and Green-Wings agreed.
He returned to Valka's side and slowly approached Viggo. The man's dark leather gear was clearly worn a lot and even similar to that used by the dragonriders. Viggo was one too, in his own way.
"I cann carrrry you."
Viggo stepped back a pace, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"You surprise me again, Shadowwing. I had no idea you could- incredible. Can you all?"
He shook his head, "Onnly my kinnd annd thosse like uss."
"Fascinating. Why must I go with you instead of Ripper?"
"Otherr drragonnss would attack Rripperr. Let Drragonnhearrt ssearrch you."
"Of course. I have nothing on my person."
Viggo allowed her to inspect him and his attire, patting down his sides, arms, and legs. Once satisfied, she returned to him.
"Are you sure about this?" she whispered.
"Nno otherr optionn."
"Perhaps not. How much will you show him?"
"We wonn't go innto the village, onnly closse ennough forr him to ssee it."
She nodded and faced Viggo, "What will your pet do in the meantime?"
"One moment."
Viggo walked back to Ripper, patted his neck, and apparently gave the Deathgripper a command. Ripper roused, took off, and turned for the ocean.
Viggo returned, "He will sleep down by the shore. He knows how to behave so long as he is not bothered. Where are we going?"
"Ourr home iss unnderrgrrounnd. You will ssee you could nnot connquerr it with all the trroopss inn the worrld."
"Such is not my intention."
He turned aside, crouched, and nodded at his back, "Nno ssaddle. Hold a finn."
Viggo approached his shoulder, cautiously climbed onto his back, and held on at the base of his neck. Luna approached and softly growled at Viggo while glaring at him.
"If you trry annythinng, sshe will grrab you annd hurrt you without killinng."
"You can both be assured I will not unnecessarily endanger my own survival."
Luna leaped away, let Valka hop on her back, and took flight in one swift motion.
Was-Grounded stepped away and stretched his wings, "We will tell Moon-Dancer and Aurora about the stinging-tail-hunter-kin and to keep watch but leave it alone."
Was-Grounded and Green-Wings took off and departed in opposite directions over the trees.
He rumbled, "Hold onn."
He took flight as evenly and calmly as possible, rising above the trees and turning for the central mountain. Luna followed closely behind him, probably keeping a close watch on his passenger.
Having never properly carried anyone other than Valka, Viggo was much heavier and far less sure of himself, likely from the lack of any saddle. What had the warlord's first experience of flight been like? Surely nothing like what a Night Fury could provide. Viggo didn't have any reigns or a bridle on his Deathgripper, so that relationship might not be as one-sided as he had thought at first.
Talking to Viggo was implausible during the flight because of the wind, so he couldn't explain anything as they neared the cave glowing faint green from within. Finally there, he dove and landed on the ground before the subterranean passage while Luna circled above.
"Cann you guessss?"
Viggo appeared confused at first as he saw inside the cave and felt the faint wind blowing up from within. Perhaps he had been expecting to see a village immediately hidden within.
"Not with any degree of confidence."
"It drrops downn farr unnderrgrrounnd to a worrld few humannss knnow about."
"I do not suppose you would tell me the locations of any other entrances."
He looked back over his shoulder at Viggo, "Corrrrect, I would nnot ssay, forr yourr ownn good."
"Of course my safety is your concern."
He waited until Was-Grounded and Green-Wings returned, and he took flight and continued down the cave with them, the moss glowing faint green the entire way. Finally in the first chamber, he touched down on the nearest cliff overlooking the expanse of colors. Bright crystals interspersed the forest of trees, vines, streams, and waterfalls. A handful of dragons, mostly Terrors, were visible above the nearest streams. Distant roars echoed from unknown depths, barely audible over the constant drone from the waterfalls.
He crouched and let Viggo slide off his back. Viggo was wide-eyed and clearly in awe of his surroundings. The man reached down and gently fingered a flower the petals of which glowed white while a large bee buzzed away.
"Fascinating. Who could imagine that such is hidden beneath the sea? What great forces were necessary to create such a world? How many caverns are there similar to this one?"
"Counntlessss inn all dirrectionnnss."
"Are there other tribes, or whatever you call yourselves, of Night and Day Furies?"
"Nnot Day, Light. Yess, therre arre. They arre ssolitarry."
"I do not see a village."
"We arre elssewherre. Get onn."
Viggo remounted him, and he continued for home down a side passage along with everyone else. They passed a handful of wild dragons on their way, none of which noticed Viggo's presence or otherwise reacted. After a few hours of flight in total, passing between the dual-waterfalls, and greeting Dawn-Singer on guard, they arrived at the outskirts of New Haven, and beheld the darker portion of the passage, misty pools, wilder forests, fields of towering mushrooms, and lastly the signs of civilization deep within. Maintained fields, paths, homes and storehouses, fences, livestock, humans, dragon residents, and the Great Hall, all illuminated by torchlight or the massive crystals throughout.
He landed on top of a cliffside overlooking New Haven from afar but clearly visible. Viggo dismounted and stood on the edge of the sheer drop, his arms crossed as he silently beheld everything for nearly a minute. Was-Grounded, Green-Wings, and Luna continued onward.
"Herre we arre. We drragonnss prrotect everryonne downn herre."
"Evidently. The water must be fresh or somehow purified. Those fields must bear enough crops and livestock, perhaps supplemented from above. Did you know about this place when we first met on that tiny spit of sand?"
A meeting with two warlords and a madman before battle off the mainland above. Neither Viggo nor Ryker had any notion that Night Furies could understand or communicate at all, though Grimmel had not been as shocked. He had no idea why not, and did not want to know.
"Yess, but nnot that we could brrinng yourr kinnd herre. Humannss cannnnot live herre without uss."
Viggo chuckled and faced him, "Not yet. Your Dragonriders already have their own wingsuits for gliding. Excluding myself, I have some of the most creative people of all in my employ. If you truly understand us, you would know it is only a matter of time before humans devise machines for flight."
He slowly nodded once, "Iss that a thrreat?"
"A warning. Even if we are both long since dead when it happens, humans will find a way, much like that stone building in the distance. I cannot imagine that was an easy construction in so few years. A mead hall?"
"Annd morre. It helpss havinng sstubborrnn drragonnss cooperratinng. Thesse people alsso have prractice rrebuildinng theirr homess."
"It looks defensive too. Do you often come under attack from other dragons?"
"Nnot oftenn, but ennough that we arre rready to warrd away otherrss. Arre you ssatissfied?"
Viggo faced him, "About my proposal earlier, would you or any of your relations want to ally with me? I did not get a direct answer."
"Ourr childrrenn do nnot knnow the upperr worrld well. Why sshould we rrissk ourr sskullss hannginng frrom a hunnterr'ss collectionn, jusst forr yourr bennefit?"
"Admittedly, I could not completely ensure their protection. Even the most hardened dragon-killer is willing to make exception for a Deathgripper, there being common purpose or understanding, but that acceptance would not necessarily extend to a Night Fury. Keeping them safe without risking my reputation would be a challenge."
"Thenn we cannnnot agrree."
Viggo nodded, "I thought you wouldn't. Did you know that since we met I spent the years and no small amount of coin collecting dragons from private collections all along the mainland?"
Of course there had to be have been dragons which were incapable of answering the call to flee to the hidden world. Viggo had apparently collected them.
He softly growled, "You wannt onne of uss to conntrrol orr commannd them forr you."
"Not at all. I tried pairing them with riders they would accept. It did not work, and the dragons, other than Ripper, flew away. I now assume they went underground, as there was no news of them anywhere in the wilds or the mainland. I could not shape dragons to be what I wanted. Like forces of nature."
"Good lessssonn. Thosse who sstay herre choosse to. Nno otherr rreassonn."
"And yet, you and those like you are different from other dragons. They do not speak or act so aware. Ripper can make his desires known, but no differently from how a wise hound might. Why are you different?"
He had wondered that himself for years, without answer. Nothing Mimir had shared years ago explained why Furies could understand better than other dragons.
"I do nnot knnow. Have you sseenn ennough?"
Viggo nodded after another minute observing his surroundings, "This must suffice. We can return to the surface."
He let Viggo climb on, and departed for the distant exit and the eventual above, flying slowly. He already had a guess as to Viggo's real intentions.
Once he emerged from the cave into the open sky, it was already late in the afternoon, the flight below and back having taken up much of the day, with the sun already nearing the horizon. He cautiously flew for the beach and noticed the conspicuous shape of a dragon coiled up on the sand.
"I told you he would behave himself," Viggo said over the wind.
He dove and landed on a bluff a safe distance from the apparently dozing Deathgripper. Viggo hopped off and faced him as the warm wind freshened.
"Shadowwing, it was a pleasure to meet you again under more pleasant circumstances. You have my solemn oath I will help keep your island hidden for your own good," Viggo mildly offered.
He huffed, "You wannted to ennssurre we sstayed nneutrral, nnot helpinng yourr futurre ennemiess. If you could nnot have yourr ownn tame drragonnss, nno onne elsse sshould eitherr."
Viggo smiled, "What an alliance we could have had. I might have to come back here in the future. You could show me more of your home."
"Betrray uss, annd I will perrssonnally rrip you aparrt."
"I do not in the least doubt you. As a token of thanks, I have a gift. There is a spy among the refugees who shipwrecked here. The spy helped me learn that dragons were here."
"Sso why tell me?"
"I trust you can figure out on your own who it is. Do with her what you will. Until we meet again. Farewell, Shadowwing."
Viggo put on his helmet, spun around, slid down the sandy bluff, and walked off without looking back at him. After rousing and greeting the Deathgripper, Viggo saddled Ripper and departed.
He watched until the Deathgripper was a barely visible speck approaching the faint lights of a ship out at sea.
He exhaled and relaxed, "See, nothing went wrong."
Luna dropped her fade and hopped beside him, taking a few moments to stroke his tail and purr in relief.
"Did I hear he has one of his underlings secretly on this island?" she asked.
"He does. He thinks I can find out which one and what to do about her."
"Do you believe him?"
He huffed, "More likely he told her to stay secretly loyal to him so she can learn more about us from within our pack. If he is truly giving her to us, she will have nothing to lose. Either way, she cannot leave."
She hummed and stared out to sea with him, "And Viggo? Is he a ground-kin?"
He was unsure how to answer. Viggo was complicated and cunning. All he could trust for certain was Viggo had an interest in no one else learning about the entrance to the hidden world. At the same time, Viggo did not sound cruel or come across as unreasonable in any requests. Having him as an ally, or at least not an enemy, was preferable to the alternative.
"I do not know, but this was probably not the last time we see him. I am sure he does not mean us any harm, but we should remind Moon-Dancer and Aurora to keep close watch the next pawful of waking-cycles. I have been wrong before."
She hummed and looked up at the moon, just starting to emerge from behind the clouds.
"Do you miss seeing it?" he asked.
"Sometimes, but not as much as I once did. What about you and all the ranges up here?"
He no longer felt the anger which had boiled within in the past at the memory of being driven away. There was more cold apathy instead. And yet, it was tragic and upsetting that the human world was ignorant and stuck with old stories. Viggo was correct that hiding would eventually become impossible. Something had to change.
"I wish I could say I do not care at all. This world is a problem for another time, maybe someone else's life-flight entirely."
Skadi stood frozen in alarm and confusion at what she had just seen. It could not be, but there was no mistaking the terrible truth. The two-leg could not be anyone else.
Shadowwing had just flown past while carrying Cunning on his back. Cunning, the two-leg Alpha which was the planning behind a nest which had been dedicated to trapping and enthralling kin to his two-legs. The same two-leg which allowed its now-dead nestmate to starve her, deny her water, deprive her of sleep, and strike her, all to chill her life-fire and make her obedient. Countless waking-cycles passed in a trap, in her own waste, and doubting her resolve until she finally sparked the life-fires of enough of the other kin to fight back and break all of them free.
She crouched low atop the mushroom-tree while watching Shadowwing and Cunning atop a ledge outside the shared-nest. Cunning appeared as though he was overlooking the shared-nest and all he could see of the range. What was Cunning doing in this world, and why was Shadowwing bringing such a foul two-leg here at all?
A chill filled the air and her liver as the truth became clear. Shadowwing must have an agreement with Cunning. No other two-legs from the above were brought below, as far she knew. Worse, that agreement likely included Shadowwing giving Cunning thrall-kin to use. How else could Cunning and Loud have collected so many kin to keep in traps far away on an island in the above?
This agreement had to be the secret rot she had been missing within this pack! Yes- that was it! The dark wings, or at least Shadowwing, were betraying other kin!
But why? What would the dark wings gain from working with Cunning?
Find a way to trick Shadowwing into revealing his reasons for such a foul alliance. With that information, Reflection, Crushes-Rocks, and everyone else would have to obey- agree that action was necessary to save all kin from this threat.
Back home and in the Great Hall, Shadowwing rested atop his stone slab with Thorvald, Gobber, and Valka waiting before him.
"So what did Viggo want?" Gobber asked.
"Yeah, do we need to get ready for war?" Thorvald added, cracking his knuckles.
"He wannted to make ssurre we wouldnn't help hiss ennemiess."
"Which ones?" Thorvald asked.
"Anny futurre ennemiess. He alsso wannted to ssee ourr home, sso I had to sshow him ssome of the hiddenn worrld."
Gobber frowned and twiddled his mustache, "Did e' now? Mighty suspicious. Is he gonna attack us?"
"Nno rreassonn forr him to. He sshould knnow doinng sso issnn't eassy. He evenn offerred to help uss inn rreturrnn forr uss sstayinng nneutrral."
"How?" Thorvald asked.
Valka answered for him, "He said he could regularly send supplies and trade to our people living above, and he would try to keep our waters clear of anyone else who might find us. Keep his own ships patrolling to ward off anyone else."
Gobber nodded, "Get on our good side so we don' wanna help anyone else agains' him. Seems fair. Do we trust him?"
He huffed, "Nno, but we cann trrusst him to do what helpss him. Betrrayinng uss wouldnn't help him. Nno onne elsse sshould knnow wherre we arre."
Valka added, "But we are going to keep close watch above. We can only trust him if he proves himself by actually helping and keeping his promises."
"He alsso ssaid onne of the rrefugeess iss a sspy. Onne of the womenn."
Everyone appeared surprised.
"Eh? Why'd he admit that?" Gobber asked.
"Prrobably a trrick to make uss trrusst him. Perrhapss therre iss annotherr sspy we arre nnot ssuppossed to learrnn about. Drragonnhearrt, thinnk you cann finnd out who iss the sspy?"
"Maybe. I'm not the best at interrogations, but Chief Stonefist and I can figure out how."
Gobber laughed, "Come on, tha's the easy part. Just pretend to be a Gothi returned from wherever ya live in secret. Meet the survivors one at a time, ask 'em what happened to em', and find whoever's story doesn' fit tha others! We already know it's a lass. Cannae be too hard ta find out which one."
Skadi waited until Shadowwing finally returned with Luna and no Cunning. Had Cunning told Shadowwing what she had done? Cunning ought to have no way to know about her presence here.
Shadowwing and Luna flew into the shared-nest, and Shadowwing went inside the great-hall-den for many wingbeats before coming back outside and flying up to a higher level outside the shared-nest where a pawful of his kin were waiting.
She followed him and got his attention.
He stretched and yawned, "Skadi, warm flights. Sorry, I flew a lot today. Can I help you?"
"If you need to rest I can wait. I have questions."
"Questions first. You are welcome to join us for rest if you want."
He did not appear suspicious. Cunning had not mentioned her. Good.
She hummed, "It might be best to ask away from your kin. These are about what you, as an Alpha, want for your pack."
He came over to her and sat beside her, "What do you want to know?"
"My pack is far enough away from yours that you can be honest. Does your pack intend to take more ranges?"
He blinked and tilted his head, as if confused, "What do you mean by take? We have searched for unclaimed ranges, but there are no good ones we could find. We have tried to spread out if doing so could be safe for both us and our ground-kin. The best way would be if we could make peace with Light Fury or Night Fury packs which would let ground-kin live with them."
"So you do not intend to take other ranges by force?"
"No. Even if we wanted to, what would attacking make other sky-kin think about our ground-kin? Nothing good or warming. The other packs fear our ground-kin too much already. We had too many ground-kin here before, but one of every three of them now live on the island above. The lower numbers here helps us live with what we have."
"The above. Your pack came from up there, and you must know the dangers in it. Have you seen or met with any two-legs from up there recently? Do they know about these ranges?"
He would surely deceive to avoid revealing his agreement with Cunning. He had to.
Shadowwing huffed, "What a time for that question. I met with one earlier this waking-cycle and brought him to see our ranges."
"Why? What did it want?" she asked, surprised he so easily admitted the truth.
"I believe he wanted to see where we live and to learn if we were going to cooperate with any of his enemies."
"What is he among the two-legs?"
"He is a two-leg Alpha commanding packs of- Fighters in the above. He is not an ally, but not an enemy either. He helped us escape long ago, but only because our escape benefited him too."
"Does he keep any kin, any sky-kin up there?"
"He has a stinging-tail hunter he keeps. Other than that one, he said there were other sky-kin he was trying to make accept two-leg riders, but those sky-kin escaped. He claimed he learned his lesson."
The burns she gave him had to have ensured that.
"Are you going to cooperate with him or his enemies?" she asked.
"Neither. He wanted one of us to follow him and help him in his fights, but we do not want to concern ourselves with the above anymore. I only brought him here because he demanded to see our territory as part of an agreement to leave us alone."
"You have an agreement with him. What does he get in return?"
"Assurance we will not help his enemies."
"And?"
"Nothing else. He even agreed to keep secret where we are. I cannot say I trust him much, but I believe he does not mean us or the hidden world any harm. Trying to hurt us would only be a risk to him, with no gain."
She steadied herself, feeling lightheaded. This was not at all what he was supposed to admit to. He was not actually cooperating with Cunning to betray kin. He instead worked to ensure a two-leg Alpha would not be a threat, because-
He was protecting the hidden world. Believing otherwise was to leap too quickly to conclusions.
Impossible. No. Cunning had to have acquired the thralled-kin from somewhere else, perhaps like he did with her, claiming her from others which had trapped her.
But if she was wrong about Shadowwing here, could she be wrong about all of the New-Haven-Range? Even the two-leg ground-kin might be- probably were-
"Skadi?" he asked.
"I- sorry, I- how do you know so much about two-legs? Why are they so important to you? Why do you care?" she asked, looking down to her paws.
Luna bounded to them before Shadowwing could answer, "Is there a problem, Skadi? You look upset."
"Sorry. I am confused. Shadowwing was explaining much about two-legs."
Shadowwing huffed, "And why they matter to us, or me specifically. I care about them and ground-kin because I have always known them. One of them even raised me from the egg."
A ground-kin- a two-leg had raised him? What? Why would one of them do that?
She stepped back in shock, "What?"
"He was an Alpha for a two-leg pack which became part of our ground-kin. He was like a sire-father and raised me and Was-Grounded from the egg, though my nestmate was never as close to him or other ground-kin as I was."
A monster would not- could not care for such different life. Not unless the two-leg planned to use it. Even then-
"Why did that Alpha raise you? Where were your sire and dam?"
Shadowwing paused before answering, "My sire and dam were not around, maybe dead. Why did he care for us? Probably because he wanted to respect his dead young one who was first from his pack to make a friend of a sky-kin."
Impossible, but it had to have happened. He would have no reason to lie about his past. Having been raised by them since he was a hatchling would explain why he wanted his life-flight to include them.
"Where is he, the ground-kin which raised you?"
"He died in fighting against another Alpha two-leg which was trying to control sky-kin."
Shadowwing had lost his two-leg second-father in battle against a foul two-leg. Shadowwing remained strong and kept fighting for his pack and for-
Cooperation? Peace? Sharing life-flights?
But how was that different from building peace with Shadow-Spark-Pack or Deep-Pass-Pack? It could not be. No.
Yes?
She recovered herself and looked up at him and Luna, both of whom were visibly curious or concerned.
"I had no idea two-legs would fight for us. I apologize for bothering you."
"Do not be sorry for asking. What happened was not normal. It is fair to ask how our pack came to be at all, and why they are important to me- to us," he answered.
She stepped back from them.
Luna interjected, "We were wondering how much longer you and Crushes-Rocks plan to stay with us. You may stay as long as you need, but we want to know."
"Hopefully not much longer. I have seen almost enough."
He nodded, "Please let us know before you both leave."
"I will."
She spun away from them and took flight, quickly leaving them behind to go somewhere- anywhere else to decide what these revelations meant. Once around the corner and out of view, she flamed before herself and faded from sight. Were all the light-rocks dimming and the shadows growing longer? Between radiant light-rocks, roaring waterfalls, and forests of all colors.
Find Crushes-Rocks and Reflection to confide in them and get their opinions? What if she was completely wrong from the beginning about New-Haven-Pack and the ground-kin two-legs?
A whisper. What would her friends think about her? No, not their problem or burden. Hers alone. They would turn on her if they learned how wrong and weak she had been.
The ground-kin were nothing like what they had to be. What was correct and what was false? No matter what would be convenient, a lie would only be a lie.
The dark wing Alphas were not what was expected either. Not actually trapping other sky-kin- other kin. No. Protecting them. Keeping safe the hidden world from dangers. Dangers in the above or the below.
Protecting and growing a mixed-pack different from all others before. Too much. Far too much.
Find a place to decide on her own if her whole life-flight was always wrong. But if wrong about the two-legs, what else was wrong too? Everything! Nothing to protect. No one to need or want her. No purpose.